Portland, Oregon

Portland, Oregon

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

That Time of Year

Christmas is over, now what? This seems to be an 'in between' time of year for me. I take down the holiday decorations but can't think of anything to put in the center of the table for the month of January. The weather is usually dark and rainy here in the Pacific Northwest. Daughter left this morning so it's time for me to decide how I'm going to occupy my time until spring arrives. I think I'm going to fill the time with books and knitting.

I took a giant leap of faith and ordered the new wireless Apple AirPods. I've been eagerly waiting for Apple to release them. I think they will arrive mid February. They are pricey at $159. I am totally sick of earbuds with cords. There's not many styles of those things I can wear but the ones from Apple work great for me. I do think they look a little weird stuck in your ear but that's not of great importance to me. 

Daughter gave me some Audible book credits so I'm set for ordering new books. My audible library is quite large so I'm going to spend some time making notes and lists in a regular notebook in hopes it will make my reading/listening selections easier.

I finished knitting a pair of socks during the holidays. Daughter loves all the yarn stores here in Portland so I accompanied her thinking I did not need anything. As usual I came home with threes skeins of sock yarn. I took a knitting break for the summer and have had a hard time getting back in the groove but knitting goes well with audible books.

Bob is having blood pressure problems again. I was able to get in touch with the new cardiologist on Friday before Christmas. He is so nice and I'm so pleased to have him on Bob's medical team. He told me to take his blood pressure in the morning. If the top number is over 100 he is to take his morning meds. He's to skip them if the top number is under 100. Before bedtime we take it again and that tells us if he's to take a particular pill or skip it. We will be seeing him mid January and I will take along a log of his BP readings.

Perhaps I'll have something more exciting for my next post but don't count on it.

25 comments:

  1. This is an odd time of the year, isn't it? All the holiday stuff over and done, unless you do New Year's Eve. Even still, sort of anticlimactic. A new year on the horizon holds promises, but 2017 does not fill me with much joy. I have another two weeks before I return to my volunteer work but I'm well rested now and ready for another go-to. Life will pick up the pace, and before we know it, spring will arrive.

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    1. This is always a slow time of year. When we lived in Texas April began springtime but in Oregon it's often late June. Here the month of March is hump month, when you think you can't stand one more dark and dreary day. Perhaps it would be different if I were looking forward to a new administration in Washington.

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  2. One thing I've been doing the last few years, in addition to knitting, is making felt Valentine hearts. I send one to a friend who gives us a photo calendar each Christmas, another to a former student'S little girl, another to a niece who loves hearts of all kinds, etc. I collect various heart ideas on Pinterest year-round, then choose the design for this year in early January. It gets me through the dark days of January. Of course I could be house cleaning instead...

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    1. That's a great idea. I used to work with felt a lot. It's hard to get excited about cleaning house or much of anything else this time of year.

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    2. What a wonderful, creative idea.

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  3. Audio books are nice. I used to listen to them a lot, never knitted to them but it's a great combo.

    I'm still on a high from Christmas and I don't want to think about what 2017 will bring ups.

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    1. I'm glad you had a good Christmas. I couldn't stand to knit if I didn't have a book to listen to, and I couldn't listen to a book if I didn't have knitting or something to keep my hands busy.

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  4. Missed your posts, but figured you were happily busy with the holidays and family. I used to crochet and knit, but haven't in years. At one point I did macramé as well. I bet if I picked it up, it would all come back to me. Happy New Year Linda, and hope that Bob's BP doesn't cause too many problems.

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    1. No doubt you could easily pick up knitting and crocheting again. I used to do a lot of macrame. Wonder how easy it would be to pick that up again.

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  5. Gosh, is 100 the base line for the top number now?? Yikes, I'm sicker than I thought. Sure hope you can get him straightened out once more. He was feeling so much better on the new meds.
    I am kind of glad I don't decorate for Christmas so I don't get that big let down when it is over and all the decorations are put away. Sure use to make the normal house look boring for a while.

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    1. Yes 100 for the top number is the benchmark we work from. Under 100 for top number we skip med, over 100 for top number he takes meds. It probably took me all of 30 minutes to put away my Christmas decorations. I just wasn't into Christmas this year.

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  6. There's a name for sporadic blood pressure changes. Usually our blood pressure remains in the same range.

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  7. While we sort of stay in holiday mode until after New years Day, I have been thinking about "now what". I'll be posting about what I come up with, but today we took a long destination walk and I got out my sewing machine. We leave decorations up until after New years, and then pack it all up and do a thorough house cleaning.Then we try to stay busy during dark January while trying not to snack while we work on our holiday weight gain. January is time to restart "Project Me'.

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    1. Now you've captured my interest. I'm anxious to see what you've come up with. I've never done 'project me' but it's time I did. Christmas was difficult this year. Got to get out of this slump I'm in.

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  8. Decorations all put away. house dusted, vacuumed and cleaned. The rest of this week feels strange--like there is something to do and I have forgotten it. I guess I am waiting for the new year and then get back into my routine? Crocheting and Cross Stitching in front of the TV because I can't just sit and watch without something to do with my hands. I think many of us are like that.

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    1. The house looks bare after the decorations are put away. I don't care for TV but I listen to many audible books. Knitting socks keeps my hands busy.

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  9. That blood pressure is a real challenge to deal with. Louis Dean's cardiologist moved away so we must find a new one in the next week or two. This is the second one LD has had.
    This week feel in between for me too! I packed one tub of Christmas clothes away. We bought several new clear tubs and I'm using them to store the Christmas tablecloths, towels, napkins and such.
    I read 'real' books, the old fashioned kind. Right now I'm reading a book of short stories by Sue Grafton. When I finish this I need to find a good one to sink my teeth into. I have stacks and stacks of books so I shop the house! I probably won't live long enough to read the books I already have!
    Happy New Year to you and Bob!

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    1. Choosing a new doctor always makes me very nervous. Years ago Bob had a Korean cardiologist that didn't work out. He was a fine doctor but didn't know how to handle Bob's sense of humor. Humor doesn't always translate well between ethnic groups. The one he has now is Filipino and he quite comfortable teasing and cutting up with Bob.

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  10. LOL at that last line. Life does slow down in January and February, but sometimes uneventful is better than other possible alternatives, if you know what I mean. I love audible books, too. What a great option. Now on to the new year. Let's hope it's a good one. Hope Bob's blood pressure levels out.

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    1. It could be we'll have more excitement than I know what to do with come January! Personally I just want to hibernate through January and February. I'll come out in the spring and see if the world is still standing.

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  11. You're way ahead of me with those AirPods. Shoot, I haven't even used wired headphones -- but then I haven't had a device like an iPod that needed them. I suppose that living and working by myself has contributed -- I don't need to worry about bothering someone else at the times when I want to listen to something.

    I think anyone who can knit socks is akin to a magician. I can get my mind around something like a blanket, but all that corner turning and multiple needles leave me speechless.

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    1. I don't enjoy TV so Bob has worn headphones for many years so I'm not disturbed by the noise of the TV. I listen to audible books and always wear ear buds so he's not disturbed by that noise. We have the quietest house around. These days I don't knit anything but socks. I no longer need directions, but it took me a long time to get to that point. There's something about knitting socks that's soothing and yet I always feel the thrill of accomplishment once the heel is turned!

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  12. Knitting and audible books sounds like a good combination for winter nights.

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    1. The best combination I can think of, it calms the soul.

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